save my lawn

session savage

Hy folks. A few months ago I had my lawn rotavated and I raked it solid for two weeks to a great finish. Then I was to go buy grass seed but my paycheque bounced and I hadnt a rex for grass seed. So now I'm looking out my window at a field of thistles and weed with NO grass anywhere.
I will never rake that lawn again cause its just too big so my plan is to spray it all with roundup and when its all dead spray it again to be sure then after a week or two i'll get the grass seed down. Will this work or should I just build a wall around it a forget about it??
thanks

Qualitymark

It will work, but you could also just hoe it in moonlight (so as not to awaken dormant seeds) and put the thistles, etc in your brown bin, and sow grass seed (hopefully your paycheque has re-established itself and you now have the requited rex).

session savage

Thanks very much. thats a relief

Poulgorm

Qualitymark wrote: »

It will work, but you could also just hoe it in moonlight (so as not to awaken dormant seeds) and put the thistles, etc in your brown bin, and sow grass seed (hopefully your paycheque has re-established itself and you now have the requited rex).

Serious?

Poulgorm

Qualitymark wrote: »

It will work, but you could also just hoe it in moonlight (so as not to awaken dormant seeds) and put the thistles, etc in your brown bin, and sow grass seed (hopefully your paycheque has re-established itself and you now have the requited rex).

Serious?

Qualitymark

Yes, some weed seeds are awoken to life by light, and if you turn the earth in the moonlight they'll be dead before they spring to life. Some farmers in the American midwest were ploughing by infra-red light a couple of years back, and it worked well.

goat2

Qualitymark wrote: »

Yes, some weed seeds are awoken to life by light, and if you turn the earth in the moonlight they'll be dead before they spring to life. Some farmers in the American midwest were ploughing by infra-red light a couple of years back, and it worked well.

dont worry, pull them they will come away, seed the lawn, spray water when the sun goes down in the evening, so the seeds will be well soaked overnight, cut at high for a start and you will be ok

magicbastarder

the seeds die before dawn? how so?

Qualitymark

As I understand it, a few germinate, but only a tiny fraction of those that do if you turn the soil in daylight. I think there's a brief window of opportunity for germination in these weed seeds or something.

goat2

that will be backbreaking if you go ahead and trun over sod, you will be picking stones and raking forever again
just pull the larger ones, cut back the rest with lawnmower, broadcast seeds, things will turn out ok over the next 3 weeks, if you spend a couple minuits each day then after that pulling the larger ones, you will get there without breaking your back

session savage

That sound like I could handle it Goat2. Thanks. The thoughts of raking it again would make me vomit.
Thanks folks.

goat2

session savage wrote: »

That sound like I could handle it Goat2. Thanks. The thoughts of raking it again would make me vomit.
Thanks folks.

if there are plants that look sick or dying, give them a dose of miraclegrow and they will come on brilliantly, you can get one of those spray bottles and put a bit of granules in with the water spray on all the leaves under and over as the leaves take in the nutrients far better than the roots, also you will see a difference in a week to forthnite
good luck
no need to kill yourself with gardening, there are easier ways out, with the same results

robin3

hi session savage,
have exactly the same problem as you,
cleared site and levelled lawn mid May, had too many stones and set about the task of picking them out, slow progress was made and am now about half way through- large area. so no seed was planted and have big weeds, -chickweed and thistles mostly, but they're about 8inch-10inches and growing, so now its harder to get to stones, had intended on spraying everything but willing to take any useful advice.
Not sure I can cut them back with lawnmower as there are still stones in about half of it and don't want to ruin lawnmower???/

Qualitymark

You need one of these

http://www.wolf-garten.co.uk/index.php?id=1000&tx_sytproductdb_pi13[showUid]=140&cHash=2bdbf4c6ce

- a Wolf Garten Soil Miller. Brilliant for clearing a rough bed.

session savage

Sorry robin. I wish I could offer you some advice. I am going to try to keep cutting it with a mower and hope for the best.
If I were in your shoes I would spray it. Your gonna really struggle with weeds in your way. sorry.

robin3

yes struggling away, plan is to spray it as soon as a dry day comes, will be all yellow and brown as weeds die, hope to rake it and that weeds come out with the raking??? will dig out the thistles, then just seed it- should i feed the soil first? do i need to roll it before seeding?

robin3

like the look of the soil miller looks fearsome , not sure exactly what it would do for me- break up clods and large bits in the clay? would it be good for weeds?

robin3

Hi, have sprayed the area, weeds all brown and dead, started raking again yesterday, raking up piles of dead weeds and small stones, was loosening soil about 1-1and a half inches deep, not sure if this is deep enough? Soil has been in place since mid may. Should i rotovate/plough it up again or just rake the top. want to get seed down in 2 weeks ideally.

400R

If you can afford to leave it for a few weeks a ploughing would do no harm,then rotavate and harrow as normal.

Otherwise just rake it as best you can?

Pm sent.